There Are No Coincidences
by narutoniue
Summary: This is just my vision of how Skip Beat! may end. Starts off in the future, then we will head back to how it led up to it. Rated T to be safe (but expect about the same level as the Skip Beat! manga itself).
1. Reunion

So a part of me is getting impatient for Skip Beat! ending, though I do not want it to end anytime soon. Anyway, this is just my vision of how the story ending may go. Any thoughts and comments are appreciated.

 **Chapter 1: Reunion**

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Los Angeles. As usual, Kuu Hizuri was cooking up breakfast while his wife Juli was sitting in the living room reading a book. The doorbell rang.

"Hmm, Kuu, were we expecting someone?" Juli asked.

"Not that I'm aware of. Let me go see who it is." Kuu removed his oven mitts and headed to the door. After unlocking the two locks, he opened it to a sight he hadn't seen in eight years.

A tall man with golden hair and green eyes was in front of him. Upon seeing Kuu, he smiled a genuine smile that Kuu remembered from many years ago. He stood there, shell shocked.

"Dad?" The blonde man asked, a laughing smile began to form on his lips.

"Kuon?" Kuu eyes bugged out. "It's you, right? I mean Kuon, my son?"

Kuon smiled. "I wanted to visit you, Dad."

Kuu felt tears of joy forming at the corners of his eyes. His beautiful, amazing, talented, handsome, smart ... (well, let's not repeat everything in Kuu's head) was finally back. And he was calling him "Dad".

"Kuu?" Julie's voice became louder as she walked to their front hallway. "Who's at the...?" Her question was cut off as she gasped.

"Kuon?" Juli immediately began to cry tears of joy. "Is it you?"

Kuon smiled gently at his beautiful mother. "Hello, mom."

Juli rushed up and embraced her son. She couldn't help but sob into his shoulder. "You finally came home." She managed to get out.

Kuon rubbed his mother back while they hugged. "I promised I would when I was ready."

Kuu couldn't help but grin at the sight of his wife and son back together. He had at least seen Kuon three years ago back when he was in Japan, even though his son was masked by his Ren Tsuruga persona. He then noticed the presence of another figure, standing on the walkway leading to the front of their house. Dressed in a simple but classic frock and kitten heels, her should length chestnut hair could be seen under the wide brimmed hat she was wearing.

"Kuon?" Kuu gasped at the sight of his other "son".

"Father!" Kyouko Mogami ran up and embraced Kuu.

"I'm so sorry for not noticing you standing there before." Kuu apologized as he released her from their embrace.

"No, not at all!" Kyouko shook her head insistently. "I didn't want to interrupt Kuon's reunion with his parents."

Something clicked at that moment in Kuu's brain. "Wait, Kuon, you know about...?"

Kuon gently let go of his mother and moved to stand by Kyouko's side. Kuu then noticed something glittering on Kyouko's left hand. His head snapped up as he switched his focus to his son.

"Dad, Mom, I had another reason I wanted to see you guys. I wanted to properly introduce you to my financée, Kyouko." Kuon was smiling broadly, his eyes full of love.

Juli let out of scream that the whole neighborhood could hear. She began to dance giddily.

Kuu's jaw dropped. After a moment, he recovered and gave Kuon a death stare. "And who gave permission that you could marry my adorable son?" He moved and wrapped his arms around Kyouko protectively.

"Eh?" Kyouko squeaked.

A small vein popped out of Kuon's forehead. "You realize I'm your son?"

"Oh, c'mon you two, let's go inside and continue talking there. I want to hear all the gorgeous details of how this came to be. Plus there will be wedding plans to take care of," Juli urged everyone inside.

They settled down at the kitchen table. Kyouko couldn't help but gawk at the size of the Hizuri household. _No wonder Ren Tsuruga had such a ridiculously oversized apartment_ , Kyouko thought dryly.

"So," Juli interrupted Kyouko's thoughts. "Tell me everything!"

Kyouko turned to look at Kuon. He was smiling at her tenderly, and she couldn't help but blush. He reached for her hand and squeezed it lovingly.

"Well, in truth, we knew each other from a long time ago," Kuon began.

"Wait, you met each other when you first went to Japan?" Kuu asked, his eyebrow furrowed.

"No, before that." Kuon smiled at Kuu's confusion. "Kyouko is originally from Kyoto. Do you remember when I went with you to Japan back when I was 10 when you had a movie to promote?"

Kuu and Juli nodded.

"We met back then," Kyouko continued. "Though I mistakenly thought he was a fairy with his blonde hair. And I called him 'Corn'."

"Ah!" Kuu realized. "So you did actually meet Kuon when I asked you to act out my son. And that explains why you acted like a ten year old version of him."

Kyouko blushed. "I didn't cheat, though! I didn't know back then they were the same person."

"Plus she has acted out some of my personality quirks I never showed her," Kuon added.

Juli sighed. "So it really was fate."

Kuu smiled at the two. "But what changed? You two were no where close to dating the last time I was in Japan. And Kuon (Kyouko), I didn't even know you had feelings for Kuon. Actually.." A dark look took over his face. "I'm shocked the boss didn't call me to celebrate this occasion."

Everyone chuckled. Kyouko and Kuon exchanged a meaningful glance.

"Well, it started to all come in place when..." Kuon began.


	2. Ren's Return

Spoiler warning: I am starting from around chapter 240 on, since that is what is currently out at the moment. I have no plans on rewriting story already published, since this is focused on my vision of future story events. I apologize for the short first chapter – it was really more of a prelude than anything else.

 **Chapter 2: Ren's Return**

"Ah," Kyouko Mogami suddenly remembered. She was sitting in the back of Yukihito Yashiro's car. He was driving her home from a day of shooting for the Lotus in the Mire. "Yashiro-san, isn't Tsuruga-san coming home tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, that's right." Yashiro confirmed. He glanced at Kyouko from his rearview mirror. Briefly, he thought he saw her blush, but it was so fleeting, that he decided he must have imagined it.

"Are you planning on surprising him by picking him up?" Kyouko asked. If he did, she wanted to see if she could come along, mainly because she wanted to ask him about something. _I'll make up some excuse about making sure he's eaten._

"Actually, I won't be doing that. Usually, Ren is picked up by a company vehicle when he travels by plane."

"Really?" Kyouko was surprised.

Yashiro assumed it was partly to prevent fans from knowing when Ren was traveling, so there would not be crowds at the airport. Though he suspected there were other reasons as well.

"I wonder if it has to do with Tsuruga-san hiding his given name," Kyouko mused.

Yashiro looked in surprise at Kyouko through the review mirror. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, Tsuruga-san told me 'Tsuruga Ren' is only a stage name. And you have to have your real name on official identification documents, correct?"

That was true. What was more surprising to Yashiro was that Ren had told Kyouko about his stage name. He hadn't even told Yashiro yet. Yashiro smiled wryly, feeling a bit miffed about being left out.

The car slowed down as they reached Darumaya. Kyouko grabbed her purse, and opened the car door. Yashiro rolled down his window.

"Good job today, Kyouko-san," Yashiro smiled. "The movie is going to be great."

"Thank you for driving me," Kyouko replied, bowing. "I will see you tomorrow."

Ren arrived back in Japan, and they headed straight to the President's office. Ms. Woods needed to work on his hair color before he went off for an interview he had tonight.

Lory Takarada decided to stick around in the room as Ten worked on Ren's hair.

"So everything went well with the final shooting?" he asked.

"Yes," Ren replied. "There were only a few minor hitches with lighting, and we had to relocate a scene once since it wasn't quite fit what the director had in mind when he saw the footage."

"So that movie should be out in another 6 months, correct?"

"Yes." Ren paused as Ten motioned for him to lower his head forward. "Oh, I heard Mogami-san got the part of Momiji?"

"Yes, she did," Lory confirmed. "She also had a photoshoot a couple of days ago for a new make-up product."

"Really?" Kyouko hadn't texted him about that.

"Her temporary manager has been keeping her busy." Lory stated, as if he heard Ren's unspoken thoughts.

"Temporary manager?" That was also a surprise.

"Yes, Yashiro-san agreed to act as her temporary manager for the time being. Now that you are back, of course, we will need to transition Mogami-kun to a permanent manager. But we are still looking around. We have a few ideas though." Lory explained.

"So there were some issues with the auditions?" Ren suspected Yashiro volunteered to keep an eye out on Kyouko. After all, Yashiro would be devastated if something happened to Kyouko. Plus, Ren would be mad at him too.

"Nothing overly problematic," Lory waved in hand in dismissal. "Mogami-kun can have quite a presence, you know? Plus, I heard her acting of being caught in an unrequited love was beyond amazing."

Ren frowned. While he was happy that Kyouko had gotten the part, he also couldn't help but think she used her experience with Fuwa as a basis. And that annoyed him.

"Okay, Ren-kun, you are all set." Ten announced.

"Thank you as always." Ren bowed.

"Your manager should be waiting downstairs for you." Lory smirked.

Ren headed downstairs and spotted his manager waiting for him.

"Ren!" Yashiro called out.

"Good afternoon, Yashiro-san," Ren bowed. He then cocked his head in thought. "Was my car delivered?"

Yashiro had a grin a mile wide on his face. "Come, follow me."

Ren followed his manager out. Yashiro then flashed a car key, and the lights blinked on a car parked along the curb. He opened the drivers side for himself. "Get in."

Ren couldn't help but smile. "Yashiro-san, you learned how to drive?"

Yashiro was all smiles. "Yes I did. Actually, I accomplished it a few weeks ago, but I wanted to surprise you. I want to be as best of a manager as I can for you, and I think this was the last missing piece."

Ren opened the back door for himself. He felt disappointed when he saw Kyouko wasn't there. He was half-hoping she would be.

"Looking for Kyouko-chan?" Yashiro grinned devilishly. He then turned serious. "She is currently at a shooting for Lotus in the Mire, so she couldn't be here for your arrival. I stepped out briefly to pick you up and take you to your interview. But she did leave me a box lunch for you, and told me to make sure you eat it." Yashiro handed Ren a carefully packed bento box.

Ren smiled. It was typical of Kyouko, and he expected no less.

"Don't worry, you'll see her later. I will need to step out for a bit after I drop you off for you interview to take Kyouko-chan to a LoveMe assignment, but after your interview is over, we can go pick up Kyouko-chan together." Yashiro grinned, and he started the car.

Ren smiled at the thought of seeing Kyouko later.

"Cut!" the director yelled. "Ok, that's a wrap for today."

"Kyouko-san, good job again, today." Yashiro complimented his client, handing her a bottle of water.

Today had been a physically exhausting shoot. There were a lot of fight scenes for Momiji, and Kyouko was a bit tired. It stunk that tonight she also had to act as Bo.

"Ah," Yashiro remembered. "Ren said to say thank you for the lunch box. He said it was delicious."

Kyouko held back a blush she felt trying to spread on her cheeks. "Did you make sure he ate it all, Yashiro-san?" Kyouko demanded, as distraction to cover up her feelings.

Yashiro-san laughed lightly. "Of course." Yashiro glanced at her. "Did you want to stop by Darumaya first to take a quick shower?"

"Oh, no, it's ok. I think there is a locker room I can take a quick one in. Plus…" Kyouko was about to say how she would be sweating more anyway, thanks to prancing around in Bo's suit, but she quickly stopped. Kyouko laughed. "No, really, it's fine."

The ride to TBM was mainly quiet. Yashiro could tell that Kyouko was quote exhausted after today's shoot, and he knew she needed to conserve her energy for whatever LoveMe assignment she had tonight. But she would see Ren later, so perhaps that would also cheer her up.

 _Wait, why would I think that would cheer Kyouko-chan up?_ Yashiro mused. _It certainly applies the other way around…oh right, after the situation with her mother, it seemed that Ren's eating videos really gave her a boost._ He glanced in his rearview mirror as his client, who was looking out the window. _Though there was also…_

 **Flashback – Day of the Momiji Audition**

Kyouko and Yashiro arrived at the production studio. Kyouko was quiet on the way over, and Yashiro let it be, as he figured she was mentally preparing herself for her audition.

As they entered, Producer Jouji Morizumi recognized Yashiro.

"Yashiro-san, what are you doing here? Is Tsuruga-san here?" Morizumi asked as he looked around.

Yashiro smiled his sweet manager smile. "No, I am here today because I brought my client, Kyouko-san, who is trying out for the part of Momiji."

"Eh?" Morizumi was surprised. "I didn't know you were representing other people in the industry. I mean, being the manager of Ren Tsuruga has to be crazy enough."

"Yes, but I believe my client is a great actress, and I am happy to represent her." Yashiro smiled back.

Kyouko couldn't help but blush at Yashiro's praise.

Nearby, Kimiko Morizumi overheard the entire exchange, and she was steaming. _Who exactly is this girl that she got the same manager as Tsuruga-san?! She looks nothing more than a plain girl. She must have some family connections that paid a ton of money to have the same manager represent a no-name, boring girl like her._ Kimiko thought for a moment, and then smiled. _Well, two can play this game._

Kimiko got up, and walked over to Kyouko and Yashiro. "Good afternoon, Yashiro-san." She said, bowing. She then turned to Kyouko. She smiled. "It is nice to meet you. I have Kimiko Morizumi."

 _So that's her,_ Kyouko thought. She felt her antenna pick up a slight dark wave. She also bowed. "I am Kyouko from LME."

"I heard you are auditioning for Momiji?" Kimiko asked.

"Yes, that is correct." Kyouko replied.

"Well, I guess we'll be competing against each other for the role. May the best one win." Kimiko smiled. Suddenly, her phone pinged. "Ah," Kimiko checked her phone to see what it was. "Excuse me, I need to take care of this."

What Yashiro didn't know was what had gone on in Kyouko's head at that moment. When Kimiko checked her phone, Kyouko noticed a a very girlish charm attached to the phone. In fact, it was not unlike the one Itsumi Momose had on her phone. The one that was part of the packaging on the White Day gift she has received from Ren.

What Yashiro did know was his client now had a completely blank look on her face. Her eyes looked like they were elsewhere.

"Kyouko-san?" Yashiro asked, worried.

"Ah!" Kyouko returned back to the present. "What is it, Yashiro-san?"

 _Hmm._ Yashiro knew Kyouko was looking at Kimiko's blog over a week ago, and she had what he would describe as an equally angry and disgusted expression on her face. He had assumed it was due to their subsequent conversation regarding Kimiko's use of family connections to obtain roles in showbiz. But he also couldn't help, well hope, that perhaps it was also due to the picture on that blog entry of Kimiko and Ren together.

"There is a costume they want you to try on," Yashiro told her.

"Ah, okay!" Kyouko seemed to be back to her usual self.

 **End Flashback**

Yashiro pulled up to TBM, and Kyouko let herself out of the car. Yashiro waved before pulling away. He signed as he headed back toward the location of Ren's interview. He felt that he has gotten to know Kyouko a bit better in the time he had been managing her, but he also realized she held a lot back as well, not unlike the other one he managed.

 _Well, at least I get to see the two reunite,_ Yashiro thought smiling.

Kyouko was absolutely exhausted. Today's episode has Bo attempting to learn gymnastics. There was no doubt that she was going to sleep soundly tonight.

Kyouko spotted Yashiro's car and headed over. She opened the door to find Ren sitting on the other side in the back seat.

"Good evening, Mogami-san," Ren greeted her warmly.

Kyouko froze for a second. She wasn't expecting to see Ren tonight, plus now he knew she was at TBM for some reason. In addition, she was incredibly tired from a long day, and she wasn't in the mood to ask the question that had been bothering her, even though she would never admit it bother her.

"Good evening, Tsuruga-san," Kyouko replied curtly. She sat down, but only looked forward.

Ren immediately noticed this. He stared at her. Her eyes did look exhausted, but even so, Kyouko was usually too polite to let that get in the way, particularly in the presence of a sempai.

"Mogami-san, is everything ok?" Ren asked out of concern.

Kyouko felt her annoyance bubble up a bit. _No, everything is not okay!_ She wanted to yell. _You seem to have given everyone a White Day gift except me. And on White Day too!_ But Kyouko used her acting skills, and simply replied, "I'm sorry, I simply had a long day."

"I see," Ren said.

Yashiro was listening to them. It wasn't the joyous reunion he had hoped for. He knew Kyouko did have an exhausting day acting, but even so, something seemed off.

The car was quite for a few minutes. Kyouko leaned her head back against the car seat, her eyes closed. It took every acting skill she had accumulated to stay calm. Meanwhile, Ren was observing her, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"How was the last of the Tragic Marker filming?" Kyouko spoke up, opening her eyes.

"It went mostly well. There were a few lighting issues again, but nothing major," Ren replied, relieved Kyouko was talking.

"That's good."

"I wanted to congratulate you on getting the role of Momiji. I know I sent a message, but I wanted to say so in person as well."

Kyouko felt a tiny bit of the knot in her chest loosen. "Thank you."

"I heard you became quite the acrobat."

"It's all thanks to having the privileges of a manager," Kyouko smiled, keeping her eyes closed.

At that moment, they pulled up to Darumaya.

Kyouko let herself out of the car. She was about to close the door when Ren spoke up.

"Mogami-san, if you are ever having any troubles, please come see me. I'm always here to help you." Ren watched as Kyouko's tired expression twitched a tiny bit, before it went to looking more blank.

"Right. Thanks, Tsuruga-san," Kyouko murmured. Ren watched as entered Darumaya and was no longer in sight.

"That was disappointing," Yashiro remarked.

"Yashiro, how has Kyouko been?" Ren asked.

"Hmm, mostly herself?" Yashiro replied.

"Mostly?"

"Well, she was a bit worried prior to the Momiji audition. She found Kimiko Morizumi's blog, and discovered Morizumi-san was also auditioning and she had family who was on staff. She had a pretty funny look on her face at that time. But otherwise, she has been fine."

"Hmm."

"Ah," Yashiro started. "I have been working on what you requested before leaving for Guam. I do believe I made it possible."

Ren smiled. "Thank you."

Author's notes: Comments and thoughts are appreciated as always. This was a quick release, but I can't assure my releases will always be this quick. Thanks for reading!


	3. Hidden Lotus

**Chapter 3: Hidden Lotus**

"Shizuma-sama, I have sharpened your katana," Momiji bowed before handing it to the samurai. The two had rested for a night in an inn, while the workings of their upcoming mission were being sorted out. The room featured only one bed, but Momiji insisted on sleeping on the floor, as she claimed to feel more comfortable there. The inn was part of a small village, deep in the woods nearby Higashinaruse. The surrounding area had nearby lakes and waterfalls, and the air was crisp.

"Thank you, Momiji-kun," Shizuma smiled at her.

Momiji felt a gut wrenching twist upon seeing that smile. It was the same familial smile he always showed her. Despite her attempts to indicate her strong feelings for him, he continued to only look at her as a younger sister.

The sound of movement outdoors made Momiji alert. She quickly drew her ninjatou.

"Shizuma-sama?" A woman's voice called out.

"Chidori-san, what are you doing here?" Shizuma looked surprised to see the young woman in their peak her head into their room.

"Shizuma-sama, you cannot go to the northern shrine. It is obviously a trap!" Chidori cried, her eyes in despair.

"Chidori-san, while it may very well be a trap, it is also an important assignment that I cannot simply disregard. If all goes well, a good deal of information will be obtained that will benefit my home village." Shizuma explained.

"But you could also die!" Chidori cried, her eyes filling with tears. "At least let me go with you."

As Momiji watched, her face remained stoic.

"Now, Chidori, I cannot very well let you do that. Your family would not forgive me if something were to happen to you. While you have gained some skills in swordsmanship, it is not a level that matches the possible dangers I will encounter." He motioned to Momiji. "Plus I have Momiji-kun here to help me out. She is a well-trained ninja, and my family has had deep ties with her family for generations. I trust she will help keep me safe."

Momiji could not help but feel a content smile form on her face. Shizuma trusted her. He knew she would be an asset on their assignment, unlike this pitiful woman.

Shizuma attempted to calm down Chidori, looking torn. He suddenly embraced her in his arms, and stroked her back.

"Chidori-san, I promise you I will come back alive." He released her gently. "And when I do, I…" Shizuma cradled Chidori's face in his hands. He slowly leaned in.

"Shizuma-sama," another ninja came in, interrupting the two. "The caravan is ready for our departure."

"Yes," Shizuma dropped his hands. "Chidori, let me lead you back out."

Momiji's face turned dark. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Shizuma lead Chidori out of the inn. She didn't understand Shizuma. He said he trusted her. She had been his guardian for the past few years, and helped save his life multiple times. They first met when they were children. Why didn't he love her? Why did he like that spoiled, rich woman that he had to save because she couldn't even defend herself?

Momiji gathered their traveling bags. A twisted and devastated look was now on her face. She closed her eyes briefly before regaining her composure. As she walked outside, brown leaves swirled around her. But it was clear something had crossed Momiji's mind.

"Alright, cut!" The director yelled. "Okay, Shizuma and Chidori, I need you on the set again. Since the camera focused on Momiji, we need to retake footage with the focus on you two."

Kyouko went to stand by Yashiro while the scene was filmed again.

"Kyouko-san, that was a great scene. You really showed your emotions well."

"Thank you," Kyouko said, watching the scene as it unfolded.

Yashiro had to admit, Kyouko really had a way of transforming herself. He was shocked when he saw her as Natsu and again when she dressed up for the Dark Moon after-party – he wouldn't have recognized her if they passed each other on the street. Her current clothing consisted of a dark tunic with chair armor hidden underneath, gloves, long leggings, and sandals. Her dark purple tenugui was wrapped around her shoulders. Around her waist was a tenugui was wrapped around her waist, acting as a belt to hold the sheaths for her two ninjatou. Placed on her head was a long dark wig that was styled in a high ponytail. She once again looked like an entirely different person. He hadn't even seen Ren transform so drastically, and Ren had been in a lot of roles. Though in all fairness, part of it was marketing – producers wanted Ren's fangirls to recognize him easily in what he starred in.

"Momiji!" The director called. "We're going to start the next scene."

"Yes!" Kyouko answered back, heading back toward the set.

Ren was at NY Studio getting prepped for a commercial shoot. When the blushing stylist told him he was ready, he thanked her, and headed out to the set.

"Ah, Tsuruga-san!" Airi Oohara waved. She walked up to him. "It has been a while."

"Good afternoon, Oohara-san," Ren smiled. "Yes it has. How have you been?"

"Ah, busy. I'm in another TV series, and once that is done filming, I start acting for a romance film." Airi blushed lightly.

"That is good to hear." Ren smiled cordially. He then noticed something glittering on the cell phone Airi was holding.

"Ah, this…!" Airi blushed when she noticed that Ren was looking at. "I just felt it would be a waste to throw it out, even if it was only part of the wrapping. So I thought I would use it as a cell phone charm."

"No, I appreciate it. I am glad you liked my gift." Ren smiled.

Airi blushed deeper. Then her blush dissipated as she thought of something. "Oh, you reminded me of something, Tsuruga-san. I happened to cross paths with Momose-san the other day. She mentioned something in passing, but I was kind of curious. She said she happened to see Kyouko-chan a week ago, and like me, Momose-san was also using her charm as a cell phone decoration. Anyway, Kyouko-san had noticed it, and thought it was really pretty. Momose-san commented something along the lines that she of course had received one too, and was pretty surprised when Kyouko looked quite clueless and later said she didn't get a White Day gift from you. She strongly declared it was because she gave you gelatin and not chocolate." Airi looked at Ren. "Is that true?"

At that moment, Ren quickly had to recompose his face, which dropped briefly as Airi told her story. Knowing Kyouko, of course she would conclude to such crazy nonsense. On the inside, he cringed at the thought that Kyouko probably thought she was now less special because she didn't receive a White Day gift. He berated himself for not thinking it through better, but he also didn't predict that his White Day gift recipients would be using part of the wrapping as well. The last thing he wanted was Kyouko having more reason to conclude he could not possibly love her.

"Ah, well, some would come to that conclusion, don't you think, Oohara-san?" Ren smiled he gentlemanly brilliant smile, which of course everyone but Kyouko and Yashiro took it for what it was.

"Ah, yes," Oohara lost her train of thought as she was taken in by the dazzling smile.

"Let us hear what the director has to say. It looks like he is about ready to make some announcements." Ren continued to smile brilliantly.

"Oh course." As if hypnotized, Airi followed Ren to where the director was standing.

Internally, Ren was angry at himself. _I really do need to get Mogami-san's White Day gift to her soon, or else I am not helping my cause._ He sighed. _Only a few more days._

"How has the filming been going?" Ren asked. He and Kyouko were in the back seat of Yashiro's car, on their way home.

"We have hit the final run." Kyouko replied. "I think the viewers will be pleased with the drama. After all, Moko-san is so pretty as Chidori." Hearts and sparkles appeared in her eyes.

Ren chuckled. Yashiro looked at him pointedly from the rearview mirror.

"Ahem." Ren cleared his throat. "Mogami-san, I was wondering as to what your plans were for Sunday."

"Hmm, I do not have anything showbiz related scheduled. Unless Okami-san needs my help with Darumaya, I should be free."

Ren smiled at her. "Would you be willing to assist me with something? I need-"

"Of course!" Kyouko immediately replied, interrupting Ren. After all, she had asked Ren for his help many times, and she had a debt to pay off.

"Great, why don't you stop by around 2pm at my place?" Ren smiled at her.

"Yes!" Kyouko saluted, trying to avoid blushing at the sight of Ren's heavenly smile.

Momiji and Shizuma were sitting by a campfire deep in the woods. They were resting for the night, and would continue their travels early next morning. Ideally, they would reach the village by midday.

As always, Momiji was alert for possible spies and enemies. Shizuma knew not to interrupt her focus, and normally, he would not.

"Momiji-kun," Shizuma suddenly spoke up.

Momiji slowly switched her line of sight to Shizuma. "Yes, Shizuma-sama?"

"This may be a lot to ask of you, more than I have requested of your service in the past." Shizuma began. "However, I need your word that you will continue to protect me as you always have."

"Of course, Shizuma-sama," Momiji bowed.

"This upcoming mission is important as I have mentioned due to opening up some trade deals for my home village. However, there are rival villages that would rather not see this deal go through, and they have been assigned to prevent it from happening. As you may guess," Shizuma paused for a moment. "Their mission targets me specifically."

Momiji remained silent as Shizuma took a deep breath.

"Of course, I was aware of the risks. Missions that help benefit my family and the village have always been my top priority, even if it could endanger me. However, things have changed." Shizuma paused. "I have decided that to propose to Chidori after our arrival back home. I never expected to fall in love wither her, but she has become someone very important to me, and I want to be able to have a future with her."

Momiji's head remained lowered. "Yes, Shizuma-sama."

Shizuma stood up. "I will be retiring for the night. We will leave at early dawn tomorrow." He ducked his head as he entered his tent, closing the flap behind him.

Momiji remained still. Her hand tightened around her one ninjatou. The camera zoomed in on her face as she lifted her head. Her face displayed utter despair, yet she made no sound. She silently put out the fire, and then looked up at the crescent moon above.

"Cut!" The director yelled. "Good job. Let's get set up for the next scene."

The crew moved in to adjust the lighting. Kyouko stepped away from the set. Since it was early morning before sunrise, they were trying to shoot as many scenes as possible that were set at night. Next was a scene with Chidori alone.

As Kanae walked up to the set, she could not help but speculate over Kyouko's acting. Of course, it was excellent – she expected no less from this girl who was an incredibly fast learner. However, some of the expressions she had made throughout the filming thus far were not ones that were learned at the acting school. She thought at first Kyouko was relying on her experience of Sho's betrayal, but she had only seen Kyouko angry, not devastated. Which led her to conclude Kyouko had another source of inspiration for those expressions. And if it was who Kanae thought it possibly was...

 **Flashback – Day of the Momiji Audition**

Of course, Kimiko was granted first to act out the scenes that would determine who would get the role of Momiji.

Kanae had to admit – her acting was not bad. She properly displayed the manner one would expect from a ninja from that period, and her display of affection for Shizuma was not unauthentic.

Next came up the scene of Momiji's inner turmoil with Shizuma's announcement of his love for Chidori. It was a bit freelance, as the director and producer wanted to see how each actress would approach the scene.

Kimiko walked into the woods, and burst into angry tears, pulling one of her ninjatou out of its sheath, and stabbing it into a tree. The scene then jumped to the following morning, with their arrival at the village gate and the coup on Shizuma. Kimiko worked her hardest to protect Shizuma, but the team that was sent simply overnumbered her and Shizuma. After Shizuma gave his last words, Momiji cried and wailed, hugging the dead body.

 **End Flashback**

 _I never thought she would do that._ Kanae mused, as she waited for the director to give to go-ahead to start the scene. _I would have never even thought of doing the scene that way. Which makes me think…_ Kanae's expression turned angry. _It has to do with Tsuruga-san._

Kanae inadvertently learned about all the women who received White Day gifts from Ren. And how Kyouko hadn't gotten one. When Kanae asked Kyouko, she put on the salesman face, and switched the subject. So she knew Kyouko was hiding something.

 _Has that girl actually fallen for that man?_ Kanae mused. She snuck a quick glance at Kyouko, who was in a light-hearted conversation with Yashiro.

"Chidori! Let's start!" The director announced.

"Yes!" Kanae quickly put her mindset into that of Chidori.

Kyouko pressed the doorbell to Ren's apartment. She had decided to wear casual clothes, even though she knew the LoveMe uniform would help her stand out. She figured whatever Ren needed help with would be mostly private, so it would not be necessary at the end. _Maybe he has some new acting role I have not heard about and needs someone to help act opposite of him to properly develop the role?_ Kyouko mused.

The footsteps got louder and the door opened. Ren smiled at Kyouko. "Good afternoon, Mogami-san."

Kyouko stepped in the front foyer, and started to take off her shoes when Ren stopped her.

"No need, Mogami-san." Ren smiled the most heavenly smile Kyouko had ever seen. At that moment, Kyouko took all of her acting skills to hide the blush that would otherwise appear on her face. "What I need to do will need to be done elsewhere. Will you accompany me?"

Author's notes: Thank you, abrigada, gracias for your reviews. I am glad you are liking it so far. I have to admit, it will be fun to also see how close or far off I am from the actual manga as it is released. :P I think the White Day gift is really the hardest part for me to write, since Nakamura-sensei is playing it up a lot right now, and as of writing, it still has not been revealed. Obviously her version will completely trump whatever little creativity I have, so I appreciate you keep an open mind. I realize this chapter took longer to release, but I was contemplating fully going into the White Day gift or not, and decided to push it to the next chapter (sorry!). I got inspiration this morning as to how to go about it, so the next chapter should not take as long to be released.

ninjatou = the speculated preferred weapon of shinobi in feudal Japan, a short sword

tenugui = piece of cloth, used to cover the face, form a belt or assist with climbing


End file.
